I've come to think that it is a case of "the distinctions between types of computer programs are a human construct" problem. I agree with you on a human level.

I've come to think that it is a case of "the distinctions between types of computer programs are a human construct" problem. I agree with you on a human level. Operators and controllers remind me of COM and CORBA, in a sense. They are hightly abstract things, that are intrinsically so flexible that they allow judgement (and misjudgement) in design. For simple implementations, I'd want k8s-lite, that was more opinionated and less flexible. Something which doesn't allow for as much shooting ones' self in the foot. For very complex implementations, though, I've felt existing abstractions to be limiting. There is a reason why a single cluster is sometimes the basis for cell boundaries in cellular architectures. I sometimes wonder if one single system - kubernetes 2.0 or anything else - can encompass the full complexity of the problem space while being tractable to work with by human architects and programmers.